Warriors say Curry sidelined with left leg injury
SAN FRANCISCO >> Golden State All-Star guard Stephen Curry will be sidelined due to injuries to his left leg, the team said Sunday, and the Warriors aren’t sure how long he’ll be out.
Curry was diagnosed with partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligament and interosseous membrane in his left leg and also has a lower-leg contusion. He left Saturday’s game against Dallas with 2:01 left in the third quarter, after his wrapped left leg — which he originally hurt Thursday in a matchup against Denver — appeared to buckle as he played defense.
He immediately began hopping in obvious discomfort, then left the game and didn’t return.
Curry, who is averaging 29.4 points per game this season, won’t play Monday against Oklahoma City. And with the All-Star Game two weeks away, it now seems very possible that Curry might not be there.
If Curry — or any of the other 24 players selected to the NBA All-Star Game — cannot participate in the Feb. 19 contest, Commissioner Adam Silver will select a replacement. Starters were chosen by a formula that included voting from fans, media and NBA players. Reserves were picked by NBA coaches.
Curry already has had one extended absence of the season, missing 11 games from Dec. 16 through Jan. 7 with a shoulder injury. The Warriors went 6-5 in those games.
The Warriors, like many teams in the Western Conference, have very little room for error in the playoff chase. Golden State is 2726 and entered Sunday seventh in the West — three games back of third-place Sacramento but only one game ahead of 11th-place Portland.
The top six teams in each conference are assured playoff spots. The teams that finish between seventh and 10th will go to a play-in tournament to decide the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each of the conference brackets.